Rahul Gandhi has \'limited intellect\' but is damaging Armed forces\' morale: BJP

New Delhi: A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened an all party meeting over the India-China face-off issue, BJP president JP Nadda on Saturday slammed the Congress, in particular its former president Rahul Gandhi, for damaging the morale of Armed forces with his tweets and “limited intellect.”

Gandhi, who has been critical of Modi government’s handling on Galwan Valley skirmish, on Saturday tweeted that the PM had “surrendered Indian territory to Chinese aggression" by his statement at the all-party meet on Friday.

Slamming the Congress leader, without naming him, Nadda, who was addressing the party leaders and workers in Rajasthan through a virtual rally, said the “type of language” he uses shows the “sanskaar(upbringing)” of a family, which definitely are not of “bhartiya parivesh(Indian environment),” apparently hinting at Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi’s origin.

Nadda also criticised the Congress’ stand at the all-party meeting, claiming that when all other political parties in one voice backed the Prime Minister, the Congress was “asking what happened, how it happened, where it happened.”

Former BJP president and Union home minister Amit Shah also asked the Congress leader to rise above petty politics and stand in solidarity with national interest. He tweeted a video clip of the father of an Indian Army soldier, who was injured during the violent face-off with the Chinese Army at the Galwan Valley, in which 20 Army personnel were martyred.

“A brave armyman’s father speaks and he has a very clear message for Rahul Gandhi. At a time when the entire nation is united, Rahul Gandhi should also rise above petty politics and stand in solidarity with national interest," he tweeted.

Addressing the BJP workers in Rajasthan through the virtual rally, Nadda said "When we are fighting in Galwan, a leader is damaging the morale of forces with his tweets. He is showing his limited intellect. (He is asking) why have our forces gone unarmed. Don''t you know international treaties? And they didn''t go unarmed. Why are you exposing your limited intellect."

Objecting to Gandhi’s choice of words, including against the PM, Nadda said, "Let alone respecting PM Modi, you didn’t even respect your own PM and tore a copy of his ordinance," referring to an incident in 2013 when Gandhi labelled the then ordinance to save convicted legislators from disqualification as "complete nonsense" and tore up its copy in public.

Later, addressing a similar rally in Telangana, Nadda said that history shows that whenever the country faced difficult times, the BJP stood by the then governments but now the opposition party is raising questions on everything and trying to damage the morale of the country and the Armed forces.